Ford Martini World Rally Team pairing Colin McRae and Nicky Grist made a
solid start to the Tour of Corsica, sixth round of the FIA World Rally
Championship, ending today's opening leg in fifth position in their Ford
Focus World Rally Car.

Hot sunshine and clear blue skies ensured the twisty asphalt mountain
stages on the Mediterranean island were bone dry - ideal conditions for the
two-wheel drive cars to make the most of their power to weight advantage,
permitted by the sport's regulations, over the four-wheel drive entrants.
They dominated the day, only McRae and Grist breaking their control of the
fastest times by being quickest on the rally's opening test to lead the
event.

The 30-year-old Scottish driver is 39.2 seconds behind leader Philippe
Bugalski after consistently being among the top times of the FIA World
Rally Championship contenders on what are regarded as the toughest asphalt
stages of the season. Five stages (another was cancelled) covering almost
120km in temperatures approaching 25°C made it very demanding for drivers.

"It's been a pleasing day for us really," said former world champion McRae.

"The gap between ourselves and the leader is not that large and we're
still well in contention at the top of the leaderboard. I've been happy
with the way the Ford Focus has run today and I think a few alterations to
the suspension and transmission settings will make it even better."

Ford Martini team-mates Simon Jean-Joseph and Fred Gallagher were
unfortunate retirements, their Ford Focus stopping on the first stage.
"After about 4.5km the car cut out completely and we were unable to
restart. It was a real shame because I felt confident and the car felt
good after our final test here. If the mechanics can repair the car we
shall be able to return for the final live televised stage on Sunday.
That's very important for both the team and myself because it's a big
occasion for the sport and additional championship points are on offer for
positions on that stage alone," said the 29-year-old Martinique driver.

Team director Malcolm Wilson was happy with McRae's performance. "We're
the only four-wheel drive manufacturer to have set a fastest time today.
Colin's in a strong overall position and we will be in a good place on the
road for tomorrow's leg. We made a wrong tyre choice this morning for the
first couple of stages. Ironically Colin set fastest time on the first but
the soft compound rubber meant that he was not able to attack as hard as he
would have liked on the next," said Wilson.

Leader Philippe Bugalski set three fastest times, despite claiming that he
had little confidence with his Citroen, while team-mate Jesus Puras posted
one quickest time en route to third, only McRae spoiling a clean sheet.
The new Peugeot 206 has been impressive, Francois Delecour leading the
rally after the second stage, despite a gearbox problem, and team-mate
Gilles Panizzi always among the top times. Toyota pair Carlos Sainz and
Didier Auriol each suffered one puncture during the day, neither losing any
time. World championship leader Tommi Makinen endured a difficult leg,
brake problems hampering his charge throughout while Mitsubishi team-mate
Freddy Loix, competing on the island for the first time since 1995, is
still trying to come to terms with the narrow and twisty roads. He lies
11th. After their tyre problems on Spain's Catalunya Rally last month,
Subaru duo Richard Burns and Bruno Thiry have been acclimatising to revised
compounds, Thiry admitting to leaving the road five times on the opening
two stages! Burns lost a few seconds after a fourth stage spin. Harri
Rovanpera and Piero Liatti are struggling in Corsica just as much as they
did on Spain's asphalt, the Seat WRC needing more development to be
competitive on this surface, and both are outside the top 10.

Tomorrow's Route

The second leg is the longest of the three-day rally. The drivers will
leave Ajaccio at 07.00, heading up the backbone of the island to the town
of Corte, around which a cluster of stages will be held before drivers make
the return journey. They will arrive back in Ajaccio at 18.30 after six
stages totalling 125km in a total route of 435km.

Key Stage

Nicky Grist: "The final two stages of the leg will be difficult, but
especially the penultimate test which is the longest of the rally. It's a
very twisty and tricky stage and there is a lot of gravel towards the end
which makes it very slippery. Tyre choice, driving ability and
concentration will all be crucial on this stage and I'm sure that something
will happen here to one of the top drivers that will have a major effect on
the final outcome of the rally."